Businessman acquitted in murder of Malta journalist that brought down government

Jury acquits Yorgen Fenech, accused by prosecutors of masterminding 2017 car-bomb killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia

A Maltese court on Wednesday acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, sparking outrage from her family and media freedom advocates.

The wealthy businessman had stood accused of masterminding the 2017 assassination of 53-year-old Caruana Galizia, which sparked unprecedented protests and brought down a government.

Caruana Galizia’s family said in a statement that Fenech’s acquittal was “denying her the justice she deserves”.

Her son Matthew Caruana Galizia said jurors had made a “terrible decision... that our country may never recover from”.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom said the verdict sent “a disturbing message to those who attack and kill journalists”.

Dubbed a “one-woman WikiLeaks”, Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the country, shining a spotlight on murky links between Malta’s business and political elites.